A day after shutdown talks broke down once again, President Donald Trump threatened to declare a national emergency to circumvent Congress if he can't reach a deal with Democrats to fund his promised border wall. (Jan. 10)
AP

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon is preparing options to build barriers on the southern border in the event that President Donald Trump declares a national emergency there, the latest indication such a move is gaining traction within the administration.

"The Department of Defense is reviewing available authorities and funding mechanisms to identify options to enable border barrier construction," said Navy Capt. Bill Speaks, a Pentagon spokesman. "As there has not been such a declaration made, it would be inappropriate to comment further on those efforts."

Trump is considering a declaration of a national emergency as a way to free up funds for a border wall if talks with Democrats fail to yield a deal on his signature issue.

President Donald Trump blames Democratic obstruction for the government shutdown.(Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)

Trump's declaration of an emergency at the southern border would allow the Army Corps of Engineers to design barriers and allow contracts to build them. Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite, who commands the corps, accompanied Trump on his trip Thursday to tour the border in Texas, according to the White House.

Trump suggested Thursday that the declaration could happen at anytime. Talks to end the partial shutdown of the federal government between Trump and Democratic leaders fell apart Wednesday over border security.

“If this doesn’t work out, probably I will do it – I would almost say definitely,” Trump said. “We have plenty of funds if there’s a national emergency.”

Vice President Mike Pence said on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon that Trump is determined to build a wall on the border.

“The president believes he has an absolute right to declare a national emergency,” Pence said. “The president is going to get this done one way or the other.”

Those funds would come from the Pentagon's budget for construction projects approved by Congress but not yet spent.

Designers built prototypes of a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border.(Photo: Sandy Huffaker, Getty Images)

Texas Rep. Mac Thornberry, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee, said in an interview that he opposed diverting money from the Pentagon's, or any other department's, budget to pay for the barriers. Diverting the money from the military would prevent it from, for example, building barracks to house troops.

The $5.7 billion Trump seeks would build 234 miles of barriers. Thornberry said he supports improved security at the border but not at the military's expense.

The White House is seen in the background as people bike past uncollected trash on the National Mall, due to the partial government shutdown on Jan. 2, 2019 in Washington, DC. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS, AFP/Getty Images

A sign on a garbage can at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado tells visitors to take their trash with them during the partial government shutdown on Jan. 4, 2019.
Trevor Hughes,Trevor Hughes-USA, Trevor Hughes, Trevor Hughes-USA

Volunteer Alexandra Degen searches for 'microtrash' to clean at Joshua Tree National Park on Jan. 4, 2019 in Joshua Tree National Park, California. Volunteers with 'Friends of Joshua Tree National Park' have been cleaning bathrooms and trash at the park as the park is drastically understaffed during the partial government shutdown. Campgrounds and some roads have been closed at the park due to safety concerns. Mario Tama, Getty Images

Workmen from the commercial cleanup company 1-800-GOT-JUNK clean up trash on The Ellipse, south of the White House, in Washington, DC on Jan. 4, 2019.
Nonprofits, businesses and state governments across the country are paying bills and putting in volunteer hours in an uphill battle to keep national parks safe and clean for visitors as the partial U.S. government shutdown lingers. SHAWN THEW, EPA-EFE

Trash on the National Mall on the fifth day of a partial federal shutdown in Washington, DC on Dec. 26, 2018. The National Park Service stated that 'partner organizations' were still providing trash collection during the partial shutdown, but that collections 'may not occur in all areas or at the same frequency as when the government is open.' JIM LO SCALZO, EPA-EFE

Jimmy Taylor of the Department of Public Works collects trash at the National Mall in Washington, Dec. 26, 2018. According to the National Park Service, several partner organizations will assist with trash collection while National Park Service staff are furloughed because of the partial government shutdown but this may not occur in all areas or at the same frequency as when the government is open. Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP

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“I urge President Trump not to siphon taxpayer money away from military construction or family housing or vital waterway infrastructure for his wall,” Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said Thursday night. “If congressional Republicans go along with this so-called emergency, future presidents will undoubtedly try and make similar end runs around Congress’s constitutional authority. So I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will take the long view and do what is best for our nation, not just one Administration.”

Sen. Doug Jones, D-Ala., a member of the committee, said Thursday that he hopes Trump doesn’t declare an emergency and divert military money to build a wall.

“Congress is concerned about the overreach, and I think the American public is concerned about the overreach of the executive branch of government right now,” Jones said.